The American Revolution: A Summary of its Effects on the People

The American War for Independence had many effects on the economy, the people, and

the geopolitical landscape of the early United States. Among these, one of the most important

aspects to study is the war’s effect on the general population. The result of the war changed the

lives of many people in some ways, while not changing them at all in others. Using the

information we know about the lives of Native Americans, African Americans, Women, and the

average white farmer we can make an informed decision as to whether the American War for

Independence should be considered a revolution or not.

In the years after the first English colonies were founded in Virginia and Massachusetts,

the colonists persistently and repeatedly took more and more land from the native peoples. In

King Phillip’s War in 1675 the indigenous tribes finally took up arms against the settlers in an

effort to take back their land, but they and their leader were eventually defeated. For the most

part unfriendly relations between the two groups remained for some time. After the 7 Years’

War and by extension the French and Indian War ended in 1763 the British government tried to

alter their relations with Native Americans, firstly by promoting the sale of British goods in

exchange for furs, and secondly by forbidding their colonists to settle west of a line marked by

the Appalachian Mountains. During the War of Independence about a decade later, many tribes

sided with the British, partly because they wanted to maintain the good relations they had so

carefully fostered over the last 20 years. As a result, many of the victorious patriots still saw the

Native Americans as the enemy. They were not provisioned any rights by the U.S. constitution;

they couldn’t vote, or run for office. Native Americans would continue to suffer other injustices

at the hands of the U.S. government for almost another century.

 Another group of people who were neglected in the new constitution were African

Americans. During the War for Independence, the British crown offered all slaves in its

rebellious colonies their freedom if they would first complete a small term of military service in

the army. The rich southern planters from places like the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia had

an enormous amount of political power in the continental congress. Many of these same men

considered African slaves to be less than human, or at least not equal to the white man. In some

of the southern states it was even illegal for an African American to be free, most slaves could

only hope for their freedom if they lived in the northern colonies. Regardless, African

Americans were still not allowed to vote, hold office, and were not trusted when they gave court

testimonies.

Women during the period of the War for Independence experienced a significant but still

limited degree of change to their lives. For the most part, the average colonial woman was part

of a cottage industry. This meant that while her husband or father practiced a trade or craft the

women and children of the household would do chores and make things with the supplies and

materials they had available. For example, women might sew quilts, weave baskets, or cook

food. When the war finally began many farmers had to leave their families behind to serve in the

continental army. In many cases women had to take over their family’s business or farmstead to

ensure their own survival as well as for the rest of their family. During these trying times

women were shown to be consistently capable of doing all of the jobs their husbands did. The

end result was that women became more independent from the wealth of their husband, however

the were still forbade suffrage or the ability to run for office.

For the common white farmer, the standard of living at the beginning of the war varied

little, if not becoming temporarily worse. Many farmers left their homesteads to join the
continental army or their local militia at the beginning of the war. In the best cases, their family

would have looked after the home while they were at war, and they would still be together

although financially drained. In the worst cases, the farmer’s family could have left him to seek

better opportunities or refuge from war elsewhere. Although the price of manufactured goods

may have gone up because of lack of trade with Great Britain, the average farmer did gain some

new rights as a result of the war. For example, for the first time in history a commoner could

become the head of state- some such as Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln later did. They

could also vote for their local representatives in congress as well as in the elections for the

Presidency.

In sum, the American revolution had varying degrees of impact on the general

population. Although the same group elites controlled the majority of the wealth and political

power both before and after the war, the common man living in the newly founded United States

gained substantial rights that were not outlined in any other governmental documents in the

world at the time. Rights like the freedom of the press, of speech, of assembly were truly

revolutionary ideas that were foreign to most of the world. In addition, the ability for a

commoner to become president was totally unheard of in Europe. In my opinion, the War for

Independence can be called a revolution, because although the form of government varied only

slightly from before the war to its conclusion, the way that people thought about their own rights

continues to bring changes to the world to this day.